sociolinguistics

American  

[soh-see-oh-ling-gwis-tiks, soh-shee-] / ˌsoʊ si oʊ lɪŋˈgwɪs tɪks, ˌsoʊ ʃi- /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the study of language as it functions in society; the study of the interaction between linguistic and social variables.

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sociolinguistics British  

/ ˌsəʊsɪəʊlɪŋˈɡwɪstɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the study of language in relation to its social context

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Other Word Forms

• sociolinguist noun
• sociolinguistic adjective
• sociolinguistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of sociolinguistics

First recorded in 1935–40; socio- + linguistics

Example Sentences

Existing work from sociolinguistics showed that the social prestige of a language was considered the main factor leading to its extinction or survival.

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2023

So I reached out to Dr. Ronnie Collins, Sr., a Coppin State University professor who has studied sociolinguistics for more than 30 years, for some scholarly insights on accent erasure.

From Salon • Sep. 2, 2022

Attempts to make bilingual classrooms illegal defy research in educational sociolinguistics, he warns.

From BBC • Dec. 3, 2019

She also uses anecdotes from some of her students in the interactional sociolinguistics classes she teaches at Georgetown University.

From Washington Post • Jun. 9, 2017

Mr. Wolk is the artistic director of All for One, a nonprofit theater company near the 26th-floor condominium he shares with his wife, Sandra Gillespie Wolk, a sociolinguistics scholar.

From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2016